Dallas Stars Blog

Brenden Morrow will sit out at least a couple of more weeks

Brenden Morrow’s recovery for pain and stiffness in his back, neck and shoulder will take at least “a couple of more weeks,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said today.

“He’s not making the progress we had hoped for, so we just need to let him continue his rehabilitation and therapy and that will probably take at least a couple of more weeks,” Gulutzan said.

Morrow has been bothered by stiffness in his upper back and neck that make it painful at times and also make it difficult to turn his head. He has used rest and injections to deal with the problem for more than a year, but those solutions aren’t working as well now.

“The injections were great at first, and they really solved the problem,” Morrow said. “But the first one lasted a year, and then the next one maybe five or six months, and then the next one a month or so, and then this last one maybe seven days. So we have to take a different approach to this.”

Morrow has had all sorts of treatment and has seen an ART (Active Release Therapist) specialist. He said he has talked to doctors and said he might simply have to relearn how to train and play.

“A lot of it is just putting a lot of wear and tear on it over the years and learning how to do things a different way,” said Morrow, who has a tendency to throw himself into people who are trying to check him with a maneuver called “the reversal.”

“But right now they’re just recommending rest and therapy.”

Morrow missed six games earlier in the season and came back and played very well. He has missed three games in this current stretch and could possibly miss nine more if he is out for two more weeks.

“We just want him to get healthy and feel right,” Gulutzan said. “So we’ll do whatever we have to do.”

Morrow has been rumored to be a potential trade target, but GM Joe Nieuwendyk has never specifically addressed Morrow’s situation, so it’s unknown how this might affect any possible trade talks. The trade deadline is Feb. 27 or 17 days from Friday.